Rumor: Mets To Shut Down Jacob deGrom For The Season

Terrible news for the New York Mets, and for baseball in general, as a source is reporting that there's a "99.9% chance" that the best pitcher in the sport, Jacob deGrom, will not throw another pitch this season. 

There's a "99.9% chance" that Jacob deGrom is out for the rest of the season, per @ragazzoreport pic.twitter.com/QWty1qVKj1

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) August 19, 2021

Mets' beat reporter Pat Ragazzo says deGrom's 5th trip to the injured list this season, right now with right elbow inflammation, will very likely be permanent through the end of 2021. 

The Mets are said to not want to take a chance on further damaging their ace, who was off to a historic start to the season. His 1.08 ERA and 0.55 WHIP through his first 15 starts were on pace to shatter major league records. Unfortunately, it appears we'll never find out how that would have played out. 

It's likely that the Mets' recent swoon, now 12-20 since the All-Star Break, and their fading playoff hopes (now 4.5 games back of first), had something to do with the decision. 

When deGrom landed on the IL on July 30th, the plan was for him to rest for two weeks. But a trip to see renowned elbow surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles resulted in the recommendation to shut it down for another two weeks. At this point, a late September return would be a "best-case scenario", and that's only if the elbow inflammation is gone. 

But now, as pointed out by Ragazzo, "their hopes to win the NL East look bleaker than ever. And that is why they are expected to make the rational decision to shut down deGrom for the remainder of the year." 

Photo Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports